Open AccessI’m(migrant) Canadian: Renegotiating a “Canadian” National Imaginary in English as a Second Language (ESL) Classrooms
Author(s) -
Nyein Mya
Publication year - 2021
Publication title -
cultural and pedagogical inquiry
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
ISSN - 1916-3460
DOI - 10.18733/cpi29594
Subject(s) - the imaginary , negotiation , identity (music) , sociology , gender studies , second language , english as a second language , linguistics , key (lock) , pedagogy , psychology , social science , aesthetics , art , psychoanalysis , computer science , philosophy , computer security
What does being “Canadian” mean to racialized students learning an additional language? What happens when such students do not fit in with dominant, idealized notions of being a Canadian? Drawing on Norton’s and Anderson’s concept of imagined communities, this article posits that Canada is an imagined nation. In responding to the two questions, I summarize the relevant literature and share some key personal and lived experiences in teaching English as a Second Language (ESL) and Language Instruction for Newcomers to Canada (LINC) students. To conclude, I suggest that in light of the significant demographic changes that negotiating and reconstructing the “Canadian” identity, is a learning process in which all societal members must participate in equitable ways.